If Time Could Stop
by Muted Trumpet
Summary: Time passes us like grains of rice through our fingers and sometimes all we can hope for is for it to stop. Depicting the days Zuko and Katara spent together between chapters 12 and 13 of The Ruby Bracelet.
1. If only she were wrong

**Do not own**

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She only wishes she were wrong

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There is a kind of warmth as both of them lie on the bed. Zuko's breathing is heavy when Katara turns and faces him. She isn't sure what had made her come here last night, but there was something about Zuko that simply drew her in. She needed him like she needed oxygen and so she now finds herself curled up in a warm hug.

She snuggles deeper into her lover's arms, being here with him is pure bliss and she is more than thankful that he had reciprocated her affections the night before. He was so passionate that she found herself surprised at his enthusiasm when he met her lips and ravaged them. And then there were his hands, they were roaming her naked body as if he were mapping out all her curves and memorizing each one.

He was sweet but aggressive at the same time and that surprised her, he never displayed both of these qualities at the same time but he did last night and she is truly amazed how he did so. She touches her hand to the scar on his chest and chuckles internally; this man is full of scars, the one of his face and now the one on his chest. She traces the marred flesh with her finger and thinks back to last night when she savagely pulled his shirt off of him during their love making.

He awakens then and turns to face her, his eyes are sleepy and his short fringe almost covers his right eye. She feels like making him lie still so that she can get a painter to capture this beautiful pose but she doesn't for obvious reasons, their relationship is still taboo and both are afraid to venture too far.

There is a weak but happy smile on his face and it is absolutely contagious because she finds herself smiling right back at him. He pulls her into his arms and nuzzles her ear. She inhales deeply; she'd never known Zuko had such a way with women. The only romance she knows that he had was his fleeting romance with the girl with the knives.

He had confided in her on numerous occasions about his romantic relationships with Mai, about the way she was more of a friend than a lover, about how his heart yearned for another. And now Katara closes her eyes when she thinks about what he had told her. She should have known how much he had loved her and that the other person he was yearning for was her.

She pulls herself away from her lover as she looks at the ground. This is one of her life's greatest regrets. And then she thinks about them now. Is it a possibility that this will become something that lasts forever? Or this something that will end before it even begins to take off?

Katara squeezes her eyes shut as a tears begin to fall from her eyes, this is something she knows that is impossible. Zuko was very clear when he told her that this was a mistake. He had said it again the night before after he rolled off her, covered in sweat and panting. _We shouldn't have done it, I'm sorry, let's not do it again_, was what he had said and he meant it.

"Katara?" he asks softly as her reaches for her. She turns to face him but averts her gaze from his features. She doesn't want him to see her cry that would be something that even she couldn't bear. She has decided that this would be something that they would work out slowly. As much as she wants him to tell her how much he loves her and how much he is willing to fight for them to be together, she knows he will not hurt the brother he has in Aang and so she closes her eyes and snuggles deeper into his embrace.

Their time together is limited; she can only hope that she is wrong. And now that she is comfortable in his arms, all she can wish for is for time to stop.

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**A/N: Rmb to R&R :) **


	2. When she laughs

**A/N: Dedicated to YumiKoO-O for gifting me with this idea. thank you so much YumiKoO-O :) **

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When she laughs

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Fire meets water in a dance of violence. Steam erupts as they clash again and again. This is not a normal sparring session, no; this is a sparring session full of finesse and agility. The two benders face each other with eyes focused on each of their targets as they throw their elements at each other with their full force. This is the fourth hour but neither of them is tired. This session will not end until one of them is declared the victor.

Zuko throws a fireball at Katara but it is easily dodged when the waterbender twists and turns away from it. And then with the grace of an eagleswan and the ferocity of a tigersnake Katara uses Zuko's slightly off-balance stance to his disadvantage and aims for his feet. She is successful and manages to knock him to the ground. But just as she is about to claim her victory, he is twisting and turning on his back and is on his feet again.

_So she wants to play it this way huh?_ Zuko thinks, smirking. With extreme heat, he blasts continuous shots of bright orange fire in her direction. Katara doesn't seem at all frazzled; instead, she is turning all his attempts to ground her into futile steam.

This is something that frustrates him to no end. He tries again and again but she is not affected at all, her stance is perfect and she looks as calm as ever, she is even smirking a little and this makes the Fire Lord extremely uncomfortable and slightly annoyed. How could she be such a great bender when she just recovered her bending abilities?

Zuko tries again, this time sparing not a single thought for the other bender. His shots are fierce and angry like the scar on his face and he doesn't stop. All he does is throw balls of flames at her. There are shots aimed at her head, her body but what gets her is the ones that are aimed at her feet. She falls with a loud thud and he jumps triumphantly. But then there is that expression on her face and he begins to panic.

"Katara!" he yells as he rushes to her but she doesn't respond like how he is hoping she will, instead, she groans and holds on to her head. "Katara, speak to me, are you all right?"

"Hey!" he calls the guard who responds immediately. "Get the royal physician, Master Katara is not feeling well", he tells the guard and the man bows quickly and runs off to get the doctor. "I'm so sorry Katara, I'm so, so sorry", he tells her as he continues to panic. But then she turns on her back and that sweet sound starts to filter through his ears.

She is laughing hysterically when she sees how gullible her best friend is and that is when he hits her softly on her shoulder. "You scared me peasant! Do you know how worried I was?"

"Haha! Gotcha! You know what? I love you more when you're worried", she tells him and reaches up for a kiss which he returns with equal ferocity.

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**A/N: Do tell me what you thought in a review!**


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